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Peter Roskam

Peter Roskam

Posted: April 16, 2010 04:22 PM

The American Taxpayer Is Not an ATM

What's Your Reaction:

The turmoil around Tax Day this year is well placed, because Americans left, right and center understand how the enormous growth of government puts at risk a prosperous future for our children and grandchildren. No one believes that spending trillions will reduce our deficit, create jobs and not require massive new taxes further down the road. What we have seen is gross generational theft for a stimulus that didn't stimulate and a health care takeover that increases taxes by over $565 billion.

The Democrats currently ruling in the majority simply do not have ideas other than tax, spend, and borrow policies for their various wish-lists. They do not realize that the American people are not ATMs for an irresponsible government to repeatedly take money. Today should be a sober reminder for both parties that when it comes to the size and scope of its purpose, government has over-stepped commonsense boundaries.

 
 
 
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12:58 AM on 04/21/2010
I'm not sure what good Roskam's telephone town meetings do when he votes straight GOP. He doesn't care what liberals have to say.
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cnobody
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06:30 AM on 04/20/2010
Acerebral obstructionist.
06:43 AM on 04/19/2010
After posting, in sections, my too-lengthy response to Sam in Chicago and other posters, I've discovered that it's posted backwards --- the final 'section cut' posted first, first one last. Sorry about that. It will be a pain in the neck to read, but (in my humble opinion) it's worth the bother.

Again, sorry. My bad.
06:40 AM on 04/19/2010
And, something like 2/3 of the ballyhooed recent "stimulus package" has not been spent; smart money says there will be a flurry of temporary make-work expenditures between June or July and November, in an effort to skewer the jobs and economic-outlook reports in time for the November elections. That's not smart economics, that's political chicanery.

There is another old maxim attributed to Honest Abe Lincoln: "United we stand; divided, we fall." I'm afraid many among the political and 'talking head' class, both Dems and Repubs, have successfully divided We the People. I think it's long past time that we all stop sniping at each other --- which only serves the base ambitions of political opportunists on both sides --- and start "rowing" together to get this ship of state out of the treacherous waters we're in. But, that's just me.
06:40 AM on 04/19/2010
I'm certainly not happy about the Bush 43-era spending, and 3/4 of that time was with a Republican Majority Congress. On the other hand, back in Summer, 2001, prior to the 9/11 catastrophe, Bush began urging Congressional action to rein in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and made several efforts along that line up until the economic sky fell in: It was Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank, and somewhat, Connecticut Democrat Chris Dodd who accused Bush of "demagoguery" on the issue, and the corruption and tax-supported pilferage in that arena kept on keeping on.

On "spending (by government) during times of economic crisis," well, yes and no, but that largely depends on the where and when of spending. The reason that "tax cuts for the rich" provide general economic stimulus is that "the rich" includes the 70-some % of small businesses that create private sector jobs and a healthy employment atmosphere. In the current situation, the only "jobs bonanza" has been in the public sector, government jobs in which the taxpayers must meet the ever-growing payroll and benefits costs.
06:40 AM on 04/19/2010
As to Sam's points, re: "...why every GOP president (and Congress) since Reagan has left deficits..." --- reason #1 is that every GOP president except Bush 43 has had a Democrat Majority Congress, where the spending (and taxing) initiatives take place. While the old "Bush cut taxes only for the rich" is a great sound bite, it isn't accurate: Bush cut tax rates across the board, raising the percentage of folks who pay NO federal income taxes to 47% of taxpayers, lowering the low-to-moderate-income rate from 15% to 10%, and the highest rate from (OK, I'm not in that bracket so I'm guesstimating) I think 39% to 28%. Not only do I think that's not unreasonable, the direct result of that entire tax reform package was an unemployment rate of 4.5% to 5% and a six-year period of unprecedented (or nearly so) economic growth, even while engaged in two theaters of war. After election 2006, a Democrat Majority took the House; subsequently, our economic house of cards gave us all the old one-finger salute.
06:39 AM on 04/19/2010
As the 6th District Representative, Congressman Roskam actively seeks constituent input (regardless of Party), addresses constituent concerns, and regularly holds District-wide meetings and town halls, including frequent electronic town halls. As a personal aside, one of the most dyed-in-the-wool liberal Democrats I know -- my son-in-law's mother -- who is a head of her union group and has NEVER pulled an "R" lever in an election, spoke favorably about this (telephone meetings) inclusiveness at our Easter dinner and indicated an intention to vote for him in November (I have a bet with my daughter that, once inside the booth, she'll be unable to bring herself to cast an "R" vote, but hearing her say good things about any Republican is akin to the Second Coming).
06:38 AM on 04/19/2010
A couple of comments alleged "dirty tricks" and bad "election tactics" by the Roskam campaigns. That's simply not true. There were 'bad tactics' in the 2006 election, but not by the Roskam side: In that election, which was to fill the Congressional seat vacated by Henry Hyde, the legitimate Democrat candidate (Christine Cigalis, if memory serves correctly) was thrown under the bus by her own Party - and the Party initials are Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel was building his own little Congressional power fiefdom, and recruited a number of moderate-to-conservative Democrat candidates to challenge Republican contenders in traditionally GOP-held seats outside of Chicago and Cook County. His candidate for the IL 6th District (primarily in Du Page County, which Roskam now holds) did not live in the District, apparently had no pre-election plans to move into the District, and did not have a voter base here. The "base" had to be manufactured with bus loads of Chicago and Cook County activists for campaign events within the District.

Cigalis had made a strong showing in the 2004 election, and had a decent chance of winning the seat after Hyde retired. 2006 was Roskam's first run for the US House, and although he had a very good reputation in the Illinois State Senate, Cigalis had already "made her bones" on the national front, and had established a good reputation and name recognition throughout the District.
06:36 AM on 04/19/2010
I was frankly surprised to see a speech by Congressman Roskam --- who is one of the good guys (and there are "good guys" on both sides of the political aisle) -- on Huffington Post. Credit to HuffPo! I am not really surprised to see, on this site, that only one of the seven (thus far) comments is not pure 'snark.' That's a shame, as it tends to discredit the site itself (and yes, the same thing happens to some right-of-center blog sites, where vitriol from reader comments reflects poorly on the entire site, and loses readership for the site owner through no real fault of his or her own).

The civilized discourse in this instance, of course, would be the comment by Sam in Chicago, who made a clear effort to reasonably disagree with, and address, the Congressman's points (although I do have some differences of opinion with Sam, kudos to him for keeping it sane).
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02:10 PM on 04/19/2010
I assure you my comments were not snark. He offered nothing to rebut or agree with. Talking points are utterly useless. He has a forum and chose to waste it with generic comments. I expressed my displeasure with that. If he wanted substantive conversation he could have had it. He chose otherwise.
02:08 PM on 04/18/2010
He forgot to mention that we are paying billions and billions of $$ for a war in Afghanistan that we will never win!
08:23 AM on 04/18/2010
Mr Roskam you are an arse and we won't forget your dirty tricks from the last elections
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FerrellGummitt
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12:38 PM on 04/19/2010
Uh, what dirty tricks?

Saying Tammy Duckworth wanted to run from Iraq... Despite the fact that she has no legs.

Your buddy Keith Olbermann already covered that one. Made Congressman Roskam one of the WPITW that day.
03:27 PM on 04/17/2010
Dear Rep. Roskam:

If Dems are tax and spend, please explain why every GOP president (and Congress) since Reagan has left deficits for the successors? Reagan cut taxes his first year in office and raised them every year after. Bush II cut taxes for the wealthiest 2.2% while the burden increased for everyone else (talk about shifting the wealth). Bush II entered into two unpaid for wars; enacted several unfunded federal mandates which devastated state budgets while taking the surplus he inherited and turning it into the largest federal deficit in history.

The Obama administration has passed 25 tax cuts and 95% of Americans got a tax cut this year. How exactly is that increasing taxes?? OH, by getting rid of the tax cuts for the wealthiest 2.2%.

You're wrong on spending. Economists agree that during a time of economic crisis spending is EXACTLY what government should do.

These things are easily checked. You can't go around saying that day is night and expecting us to just accept it. You are being called out, here and now, on your lies and deceptions. If ANYONE looks at the majority of taxpayers as an ATM, it's the GOP.

You would be well advised to follow the old maxim attributed to a great Republican, Abraham Lincoln : "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." In this case, you have removed all doubt.
07:19 PM on 04/16/2010
How'd we trip over this slumbering teabagger on such a bu'ful day?
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Sinick
05:49 PM on 04/16/2010
Hey Pete! How about paying for two questionable "wars" initiated by REPUBLICANS? Got a short memory, don't you?

Oh silly me, I forgot that AADD was a requirement for a card carrying member of the GOP.
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MrsGreebers
04:46 PM on 04/16/2010
After his tactics in the last election, why would anyone listen to this guy anyway?